Blood and Urine Tests

We may order some or all of the blood tests listed below depending on your age and risk profile.

Complete Blood Count
A complete blood count (CBC) gives important information about the kinds and numbers of cells in the blood, especially red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. A CBC helps your doctor check any symptoms, such as weakness, fatigue, or bruising, you may have. A CBC also helps diagnose conditions, such as anemia, infection, and many other disorders.

Electrolyte Panel
An electrolyte panel is a blood test that measures the levels of electrolytes and carbon dioxide in your blood. Electrolytes are minerals, such as sodium and potassium, that are found in the body. They keep your body's fluids in balance and help keep your body working normally, including your heart rhythm, muscle contraction, and brain function.

• Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a waste product made when the body breaks down food for energy ( metabolism ).
• Bicarbonate is a chemical that acts as a buffer. It keeps the pH of blood from becoming too acidic or too basic.
• Chloride is one of the most important electrolytes in the blood. It helps keep the amount of fluid inside and outside of your cells in balance. It also helps maintain proper blood volume, blood pressure, and pH of your body fluids.
• Sodium and Potassium are both electrolytes and minerals. They help keep the water inside and outside the body's cells and electrolyte balance of the body and are important in nerve and muscle function.

Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)
A blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test measures the amount of nitrogen in your blood that comes from the waste product urea. Urea is made when protein is broken down in your body. A BUN test is done to see how well your kidneys are working. If your kidneys are not able to remove urea from the blood normally, your BUN level rises.

Blood Creatinine
The blood creatinine level shows how well your kidneys are working. A high level may mean your kidneys are not working as they should. The amount of creatinine in the blood depends partly on the amount of muscle tissue you have. Men generally have higher creatinine levels than women.

Blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio (BUN:creatinine)
A BUN-to-creatinine ratio can help evaluate and treat problems such as dehydration that may cause abnormal BUN and creatinine levels.

Glucose
A blood glucose test measures the amount of sugar, called glucose, in your blood. Glucose comes from carbohydrate foods. It is the main source of energy used by the body. Normally, your blood glucose levels increase slightly after you eat. This increase causes your pancreas to release insulin so that your blood glucose levels do not get too high. Blood glucose levels that remain high as with diabetes or pre-diabetes can damage your eyes, kidneys, nerves, and blood vessels over time.  If we feel you are at risk for diabetes or pre-diabetes we may also measure Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), which shows the average level of blood sugar (glucose) over the previous 3 months. HbA1C is a useful indicator of how well blood glucose is being controlled, and is also used to monitor the effects of diet, exercise, and drug therapy in diabetic patients.

Fasting Lipoprotein Profile (cholesterol)
Depending on your age and risk factors, a fasting lipoprotein profile should be taken every four to six years, starting as early as age 20. This blood test measures total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol and HDL (good) cholesterol. (Learn more about cholesterol levels.) You may need to be tested more frequently if you’re at an increased risk for heart disease or stroke. Like high blood pressure, often cholesterol can be controlled through lifestyle changes and/or medication.

Thyroid Tests
Thyroid hormone tests are blood tests that check how well the thyroid gland is working. The thyroid gland makes hormones that regulate the way the body uses energy. The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland that lies in front of your windpipe (trachea), just below your voice box (larynx). The thyroid gland uses iodine from food to make two thyroid hormones: thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). The thyroid gland stores these thyroid hormones and releases them as they are needed.

Testosterone
Testosterone is a male hormone or androgen found in the blood and affects sexual features and development. In men, it is made in large amounts by the testicles. In both men and women, testosterone is made in small amounts by the adrenal glands, and in women, by the ovaries. The level of testosterone is the highest around age 40, then gradually becomes less in older men. Women have a much smaller amount of testosterone compared to men. Testosterone plays an important role throughout the body in both men and women. It affects the brain, bone and muscle mass, fat distribution, the vascular system, energy levels, genital tissues, and sexual functioning.

Estrogen Tests
An estrogen test measures the level of the most important estrogen hormones in a blood or urine sample. It measures estradiol, estriol, and estrone. Both men and women make estrogen hormones. Estrogens are responsible for female sexual development and function, such as breast development and the menstrual cycle. In men, small amounts of estrogens are made by the adrenal glands and testicles. Small amounts of estrone are made throughout the body in most tissues, especially fat and muscle. This is the major source of estrogen in women who have gone through menopause. A test for estrogen is done to check for estrogen-producing tumors of the ovaries in women and explain abnormal sexual traits in men, such as enlarged breasts (gynecomastia). This test can also help find out if there are estrogen-producing tumors growing in the testicles.

Iron Studies
An iron test checks the amount of iron in the blood to see how well iron is metabolized in the body. Iron (Fe) is a mineral needed for hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. Iron is also needed for energy, good muscle and organ function. The source of all the body's iron is food, such as liver and other meat, eggs, fish, and leafy green vegetables. The body needs more iron at times of growth such as during adolescence, for pregnancy, during breastfeeding, or at times when there are low levels of iron in the body such as after bleeding or major surgery. Healthy adult men get enough iron from the food they eat and generally have enough reserves of iron in their bodies to last for several years, even if they take in no new iron. Thus, men rarely develop an iron deficiency because of their diets. Women, however, can lose large amounts of iron because of menstrual bleeding, pregnancy, or while breastfeeding.

Cortisol
A cortisol test is done to measure the level of the hormone cortisol in the blood. The cortisol level may show problems with the adrenal glands or pituitary gland. Cortisol has many functions. It helps the body utilize glucose and fat for energy and metabolism, and it helps the body manage stress. Cortisol levels can be affected by many conditions, such as physical or emotional stress, strenuous activity, infection, or injury.

C-Reactive Protein
A C-reactive protein (CRP) test measures general levels of inflammation in your body. High levels of CRP are caused by infections and many long-term diseases. CRP test cannot show where the inflammation is located or what is causing it. Other tests are needed to find the cause and location of the inflammation. A C-reactive protein (CRP) test is done to, identify and keep track of infections and diseases that cause inflammation, such as cancer of the lymph nodes (lymphoma), diseases of the immune system, such as lupus, swelling of the blood vessels in the head and neck (giant cell arteritis), swelling of the tissues that line the joints (rheumatoid arthritis), swelling and bleeding of the intestines (inflammatory bowel disease), or infection of a bone (osteomyelitis).

Liver Function Tests (LFTs)
A liver or hepatic function panel is a blood test to check how well the liver is working. This test measures the blood levels of total protein, albumin, bilirubin, and liver enzymes. High or low levels may mean that liver damage or disease is present. The liver serves several important functions in the body, including changing nutrients into energy for the body and breaking down toxic substances. LFTs include: Total Protein, Albumin, Bilirubin (total and direct), Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT).

Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA)
A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test measures the amount of prostate-specific antigen in the blood. PSA is released into a man's blood by his prostate gland . Healthy men have low amounts of PSA in the blood. The amount of PSA in the blood normally increases as a man's prostate enlarges with age. PSA may increase because of inflammation of the prostate gland (prostatitis) or prostate cancer .

Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy

Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy - Known as the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D is important to every cell and tissue throughout the body. From proper immune function and bone density to heart health and mood disorders, vitamin D is critical for optimal health.

Vitamin B12
A vitamin B12 test measures the amount of vitamin B12 in the blood. The body needs this B vitamin to make blood cells and to maintain a healthy nervous system. Vitamin B12 is found in animal products such as meat, shellfish, milk, cheese, and eggs. Most people who eat animal products are not likely to develop vitamin B12 deficiency anemia unless their bodies can't absorb it from food. Strict vegetarians (vegans) who do not eat animal products and babies of mothers who are strict vegetarians are at increased risk for developing anemia and should take a supplement containing vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is stored in the liver for a year or more, which reduces the risk of anemia.

Urine Test
A urine test checks different components of urine, a waste product made by the kidneys . A regular urine test may be done to help find the cause of symptoms and give information about your health and problems you may have. The kidneys take out waste material, minerals, fluids, and other substances from the blood to be passed in the urine. Urine has hundreds of different body wastes. What you eat and drink, how much you exercise, and how well your kidneys work can affect what is in your urine.

Magnesium
Magnesium is an important electrolyte needed for proper muscle, nerve, and enzyme function. It also helps the body use energy and is needed to move other electrolytes (potassium and sodium) into and out of cells. Most of the magnesium in the body is found in the bones and inside the cells. Only a tiny amount of magnesium is normally present in the blood. A test for magnesium is done to find a cause for nerve and muscle problems, such as muscle twitches, irritability, and muscle weakness, to find the cause of symptoms such as low blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, muscle weakness, and slurred speech, monitor kidney function, and find the cause of heart problems or trouble breathing, especially in people who have kidney disease.

Folate
Folate is a form of B vitamin that occurs naturally in many foods. Folic acid is the man-made form of folate that is added to processed foods or vitamin and mineral supplements. Folate is needed in the human body for production of red blood cells. A deficiency of folate in the human body can be caused by certain diseases, by taking certain medications, or by not getting enough folate in your diet. Folate deficiency can lead to decreased red blood cells, or anemia.

Zinc
Zinc is an essential element involved in a myriad of enzyme systems including wound healing, immune function, and fetal development. In order to repair micro tears that can occur as a result of strenuous exercise, serious athletes may require higher amounts of vitamins and minerals including zinc. Zinc is essential to keeping the immune system strong. For athletes, this is especially important, since being sidelined with a viral infection, or other illness, can force one to miss valuable workout time. Zinc deficiency can be problematic as plasma testosterone is also regulated in part by zinc. Therefore, a zinc deficiency may adversely affect testosterone, causing muscular mass and strength to suffer.